You know you love me
by dyehanna1
Summary: You hold on to the one you love, even if the world mocks you for it.
1. Chapter 1

**Take me back to where it all began.**

The song 'Daughter' is not mine, John Mayer sang it. Lacey, Jo, Danny and Karen do not belong to me and they never will for the duration of this story; the story is mine but the show's story lines will simply act as a guide so as not to stray too far away from the characters which belong to ABCF.

So I know I said I'd stay away from doing a Dacey but here I am, a girl can't help it. I have to do something till Scandal, Greys Anatomy, VD etc get back.

* * *

_I know a girl_

Students in the hallway turned their attention to the almost harmless looking man-boy as he casually strolled past them. He could hear the murmurs, the snickers, the corners of his eyes caught a few eye rolls; he simply chose to ignore them.

He had one mission on his mind, he had to get his best friends back, he had to make them understand that he was the same kid them grew up with, had water fights with, and enjoyed sleepovers with. As for the small innocent kiss that happened, well! That he will always will always remember he would never let it go.

Growing up, he had been a semi-shy kid with a lot of courage in his heart; he would lay down his life for those he cared about and he would kill again to keep them safe. Whilst a part of him wanted people to see him as a regular teenager, he kind of relished in the fear that he instilled in some of their hearts and the panic that showed in some of their faces; he almost liked the idea of people seeing him as untouchable.

Psycho, loony, socio…..their voices grew a little louder. Truth be told, he kind of favored socio the most but he was not sure why but who cares? He kept his eyes solely focused on the two girls who had intentionally been talking with their backs against him.

The closer he got, the tenser the atmosphere became. He focused on the dark taller girl with long bouncy hair. "Boo," he said, then turned to the shorter blond one afterwards. What in God's name was he doing? He said it in an attempt to cajole his old friends. He almost scolded himself, was he stupid enough to think that they would throw confetti and a parade in honor of his return? Hell no! Neither of the girls could even look at him in the eye. "Sorry, I meant that as a joke." he quickly covered up his disappointment with a smile…he was always good at giving a convincing '_I'm great'_ smile even when was not.

"Lacey." He sang her name with a soft plea. He saw this coming, he knew she would always be the harder nut to crack, he just wished he was wrong. She looked at the ground and paid him no observance; her lips parted for a second and for the first time, he had faith that perhaps she would say something. He should have known better. She just slung her Gucci knapsack behind her and walked away, leaving him with Jo; it was then he knew that she took his absence the hardest. If he had been an ordinary boy, her action would have bruised his ego, but he is no ordinary boy, he is Danny Desai.

She knew he would be back at some point, she thought she could handle it yet she hated his guts for coming back. Just when she thought she would be okay, she remembered the last time she saw him.

* * *

_ She puts the color inside of my world_

_Boys were the ones who usually climbed up girls' windows just to make confessions, but Lacey was not a boy; she was just a girl with zero fucks to give, she didn't mind getting her hands dirty._

_A few days before his trial, she had left home, trekked almost an hour, snuck in his room through his window with a tear stained face, grabbing unto him in his bed and holding on tightly as if he were a lifeline._

_"Danny they are gonna send you away, you are going to leave me all alone."_

_"You don't know that. I have a very good lawyer, mom says he will win."_

_"My dad is a big shot lawyer too but he says Karen will never see you again till you become a man."_

_"Lace."_

_"We could run away. Lets run away from all of this?"_

_"We are kids, how are we going to survive?"_

_Her brown eyes went wild, they were bursting with ideas. It was as if that was the perfect opportunity she had been waiting for; she quickly emptied the right side of her jean pocket in between them and started counting. "I broke into my piggy bank; I have twenty-two dollars and five cents." She retorted in an excited manner._

_He chuckled at the pampered girl, "you are not very nice to others but you are very nice to me," he pinched her cheek softly, "I like that I'm the only boy you are nice to but that's not enough. Besides, your dad will mad at us and Jo will miss us. Mom says we are going stay and fight. We can't run away Lace."_

_"I know." She cried as quietly as she could, she didn't want to alert his mom._

_"I'm here Lacey," he comforted her and tried to speak like an adult. "I'm here. No one can take me from you…I swear."_

_It had been an hour since she had fallen asleep in his bed; they had been stupid enough to think that no one would notice her gone. She woke up to the feeling of being yanked out of his arms, they were both startled by the sudden disconnect of their reverie. The sound of their mothers arguing downstairs traveled across the stairs. _

_"No..daddy..no..this is Danny. you have to him please. Please, you can't let them send him away." She begged with angry juices streaming down her face, she looked backwards, starring at Danny as if he could do something about the situation. _

_The moment they got outside the Desai mansion, Lacey began to put more resistance into her father's pull. She was pleading, kicking and screaming on top of her lungs whilst Danny was in hot pursuit behind them. In between the struggle, she had been able to pull out of her father's sweaty palms, she ran to the young boy who had his arms open wide for one last embrace and slipped a note in his pocket, he felt it too. "Promise you are not going anywhere."_

_"I Promise. __We are going to be fine Lace.__" H__e smirked with reassurance. Boys are not supposed to cry in front of girls they fancy, he had to be tough, even if it killed him, he had to be strong for the both of them._

_Her dad had become angrier; he stumped over, reaching and carting her away from him while Danny's mom had begun to do the same with her son. As their bodies were being hauled away, their faces were still close to each other, they willed their lips forward, barely touching, and one could say that they shared a small first kiss. _

_Her father scuffed at the travesty that took place in his presence, continued to drag her away, threw her into the back seat and locked the doors. She turned around looking out, weeping and stretching her hand forward and trying to reach him through the rear window. As they drove way, Danny broke away from his mother's grip, he ran after the black Mercedes, he knew he'd never catch up but he pursued it until it was out of sight. That was the last time he had seen her._

_Things had been so hectic in the days that followed, he had forgotten all about the note; he had been sentenced to juvie for killing his aunty. He was supposed to rot there till he clocked 21 but for some reason, they let him out early and it definitely was not for good behavior, there were times he had to be bad to survive._

* * *

_But she's just like a maze_  
_ Where all of the walls all continually change_

For the past five years, he's had a lot of time to think and he always wondered what she wrote in that paper. As luck would have it, his mother hated change, his room, his clothes, his bed and everything was right where he had left them. She couldn't touch them, they brought back too many memories.

Once he found the shirt, he nervously and hastily searched through it till the folded item fell on the floor of his closet. He opened it and saw the one sentence she had written on it and held it close to his palpitating chest. It read, _"I know I'm only eleven, but I think I love you Danny."_ Those words brought a sense of relief and happiness to him.

He folded the piece of paper back and got ready for a day of hell in high school, he felt like if he kept it close, that would get him through.

_And I've done all I can_  
_ To stand on her steps with my heart in my hands_

Lacy had not been paying attention to her biology teacher, she looked distant, she had no idea her teacher had just told her Socio would be sitting right beside her for the class. She was trying to avoid him yet; there he was beside her, making her heart pound like a hammer on a nail.

Just when she thought things could not get worse, he slid an open note on her desk. When she saw her handwriting she almost smiled, she was almost happy that he kept it; but then she was also ashamed of whatever it was that felt towards him. She sought to push the letter back to him but he persistently pointed his finger a few lines down and away from where her ugly childish handwriting was.

She saw a neatly written sentence, declaring, "I know I'm only sixteen but I know I love Lacey."

_Now I'm starting to see_  
_ Maybe it's got nothing to do with me_

She shook her head in disgust and distrust. "That was five years ago, I hate you now, I actually hate myself more for-."

Just as she was going to say more, her teacher was situated right in front of them, snatching the note away from the high school socialite. Damn, Lacey's mind was in a wild frenzy, her teacher is notorious for putting students on blast, life as she knew it might just be over. Her teacher began reading the note out loud, "I know I'm only eleven but I think I….."

**To Be Continued**

**Thanks for reading, let me know what you think**


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you my lovelies for the reviews, I'm so humbled and happy to read them over and over. Hope you like this chapter. The song Gravity is by Sara Bareilles it does not belong to me; Twisted and its original characters are not mine. Nasty Mr. Carter is all mine though.

**The lady doth protest too much**

* * *

_You hold me without touch_

Lacey turned her head sideways, her eyes were stuck on Danny's, questioning him, cursing him yet wanting him just a little at the same time; she could not believe that this little shit just got her in an impossible situation. Her popularity would take a hit, her _'it girl'_ status would be revoked instantly, she would be the laughingstock of the school, no one will let her forget it because kids can be very cruel just for the sake of it.

Five years ago, if one had asked Danny about what he felt for Lacey, there would be only a few words in his vocabulary to express it; he questioned what he was feeling, why it felt that way, why he was feeling it towards her and why it remained constant in his head. They were so close as children that their parents viewed them honorary spouses. His mother was the nonchalant mom who teased him to death about Lacey being his little wife, asking about when he was going to marry her and how many _Daceys_ they would have.

Her parents were good sports about it; they entertained his childhood sweetness towards their child by telling him he could be a prospective suitor if he studied hard enough and made enough money to take care of her. Gee! Guess that dream of a career in a suit, life with a dog and a white picket fence was never an option to start with.

During his first few years in juvie, he thought perhaps he longed for her because she was the only girl he's ever known…he was wrong. What about Jo, He knew Jo too, right? Nevertheless, he never felt that cosmic pull he had with Lacey near Jo.

Maybe he shouldn't have confessed to Lacey, he had probably scared her away for eternity; but if she was scared, why were her eyes flirting with his and her lips, summoning his to come closer? Maybe he read her all wrong? Maybe he shouldn't push too hard but if he did not push hard enough then her meat-head of a boyfriend wins. Oh, joy! '_I need to meet him and size him up_' he thought to himself but first, what to do with Professor Knucklehead here?

* * *

_You keep me without chains_

While he was trying to figure what to do, Lacey got up and tried to snatch the note from Mr. Carter's hand but the older man's reflex was faster than she planned for; Mr. Carter let out a mocking laughter, ignored the girl's pleading eyes, and stood in front of the class.

Danny unobtrusively rose from his seat with his hands coolly in his pockets, he sauntered forward and stood in front of his new teacher, and he mouthed something out loud enough for his teacher to hear but low enough to for the rest of the class to wonder why the older man's face dropped. He released the paper to the boy who crumpled it into a ball with his fist. The way he faced off with Mr. C was so casual and charismatic that he made her swoon.

"Thanks for understanding, Mr. Carter." He patted his teacher on his shoulder and smirked on his way back to his seat.

"Oh Danny?" The instructor's voice echoed after the boy, halting the teenager in his steps.

"Yes Mr. Carter." He turned around.

"It doesn't work that way around here. Who wants to know what's on the paper?" pretty much every student's hand was up in the air, waiting desperately for the latest gossip.

Lacey was nervous, she had no idea what Danny had said to him but sometimes, blackmail is the only way to go. "Yes it does work that way, Mr. Carter." Lacey objected. "You wanna know why? I came to school early yesterday and I was searching for Principal Tang, I think it was around 7:15 am, I'm not quite sure but-."

"Lacey, hold your weapon, I'm just mucking about. Have a sit Mr. Desai; we should not hold up the class over child's play now should we?" Lacey beamed, this was one of the perks of being a '_gatekeeper_.' She knew Carter wouldn't want it to get out that he had been having threesomes with Principal Tang and Ms. Jackson.

"Thanks Mr. C."

Somewhere at the back of the class was a constipated looking Rico, he did not like what he was seeing with his eyes. He use to have Jo all to himself but now he was going have to share her with Danny who would not shut up about Lacey in the short amount of time the three of had spent together. He never saw himself as someone who would be caught up in a triangle of death with a murderer; now with Lacy included, it would be a square then if you added Archie, it becomes a bloody circle of doom.

He kept watching Jo watch Danny, who was watching Lacey and as for Lacey, she slipped her hand under desk, extended it over to Danny's then ran her thumb over the top of his hand. How does a boy have hands as delicate as that? She wondered about the things he could do with those hands; her impulse told her to squeeze it but the school bell interrupted her train of thought. This isn't't right, he just came back and she's already questioning her commitment to her boyfriend.

As the class dispersed for break, Lacey soared from the room like a goose with its tail on fire; she prayed he wouldn't trail her but heck, bad-luck must be her middle name because he chased her like a jaguar would its prey. Once she turned the corner, he lost sight of her.

* * *

_I never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love_

While aimlessly walking in circles, he felt himself being pulled into a closet and shoved against the wall with the door slammed shot behind him; the light came on. Her eyes ran all over him and took a sip from his adnoic presence, she had be stuck in the wilderness for five years and he was water, he was life, he was everything.

She grabbed his coat and used it to tug him nearer, encasing him in her embrace, holding him tightly and inhaling his scent. She missed him; he smelt just like she remembered except his aroma was better, he smelt like her guy, her Danny…not in a baby Danny way but like a grown up Danny. "I can't believe you are here." she cradled his head in between her neck, this is her Danny.

Holding him like this, not wanting to let go was reminiscent of the day they were separated; he could feel her heart thumping loudly against his fully clothed chest, every thud that vibrated from her soul yanked at his heartstrings and threatened to rupture his blood vessels.

He grabbed her by the waist, pushing harder himself unto her; he buried his nose in the slant of her neck and took in her scent too, "Fuck, Lace! You smell amazing. I missed you." He let out the dangerous breathe he had been holding then he sniffed her like a perverted teenage who had been stuck sharing study halls with boys for half a decade. The way he said it made her feel tingles in hidden places, she wanted to do big girl things with him…to him. God! He was doing things to her body without even trying. She shoved him away from her, Danny was blushing so hard that he could almost cry.

She could hardly keep eye contact with him but this had to be said, "Let's make one thing clear ass-wipe; this is not happening. We can't do this." She held her head up smugly, "I have a boyfriend, he gave me a promise ring." she proudly showed off her right middle finger to him. "We can't do this."

"Lacey, what are we doing?" in his mind, he was saying _'what's your man got to do with me?'_

She had no answer to his inquiry, that was the point, what were they doing? Too many questions and not enough answers.

Her tone became serious "As much as I want to, I'm not sure that I could completely hate you but you're like an addiction Danny and every time that I think I've finally broken free of you, I relapse. I'm stuck on you and the memories of who you use to be. I don't know who you are right now, I don't want to know you but I still can't get out. I want out of this, whatever this is please stop trying to make it happen because it won't."

He winced at her words; the new Lacey was good at using them as a sword, cutting him deep and leaving open wounds behind. Even if he couldn't have all of her right now, he knew he had to take a step back, he would take whatever he could get, anything to keep her close-by. Lord! He adores her; he just didn't know it was love back then; he just wanted to say all the things he never had a chance to say to her, was that too much to ask?

The things he felt when they touched turned him to all shades of pink. _Damn it Danny, now is not the time to blush_. Thinking about it once again, blushing is good, it humanized him; it allowed her to see a shy, tender and vulnerable side to him. Maybe it was a mistake showing her too much of this side too soon. "Okay Lace, forget I said anything. I don't love you, I never have."

She was taken back by his reaction, she knew he didn't mean it but that did not stop her heart from aching and being angry at him. Perhaps she should have said something else to placate him and not hurt his feelings but where would that leave Archie? If she stayed any longer, she would be grasping at straws to convince herself that nothing was going to happen between her and Desai. She brushed past him, intentionally bumping her shoulder against him then left him standing in angst, disappointed and alone.

* * *

_And not feel your rain_

People always thought that Adam got thrown out from The Garden of Eden because Eve tempted him, well, they were half-wrong. Adam fell from glory because he was just as weak as Eve was, he knew the consequences just as well as she did but he still ate from the forbidden only different this time around is that Lacey is Adam and Danny is Eve.

Danny the charmer, Danny the seducer, Danny the psycho killer with a disarming smile; she couldn't shake off the last part even if she tried, the transgressions in his past will stick with him for a life time and the stigma would rub off on her if she made the mistake of being with him. She was not sure she could love anyone enough to take that risk but when she thought of her own deep dark secrets, she knew that they were both screwed up in their own ways. She would like to think that she was nothing like him, but the more she thought about it, she couldn't shake the feeling that she is the other side to his coin, they were both from the dark side of the moon and the cosmic pull between them will never go away.

Unknown to Danny, just as Lacey stepped out of the closet; she accidentally collided with Archie, her boyfriend. "Hey babe." He leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "I've been looking all over for you. What were you doing inside the closet?"

The devil inside her screamed '_Danny_' ..well…she was almost doing him in there. She gathered herself together and said a quick prayer in her head, '_dear lord please keep Danny in the close_-' Before she even finished praying, the ravened hair boy swung the door open and stepped out, he was standing face to face with Archie. Jesus fucking Christ, a Russian roulette was the last thing on her mind when she started the day.

* * *

**To be continued**

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

**In my opinion, the little we saw of Lacey's parents, they were more affectionate towards Jo than their own child; I think Judy only sided with Lacey during Clara's birthday just to stick it to her ex. so I wanted to explore what Lacey's home life could possibly look like. In this version, Judy found out about her husband's sexuality from him and not Jo. I just think the show's Jo is too involved in everyone's business. Thanks for reading. **The song Eternity is by Robbie Williams

**There's No Place Like Home**

* * *

_Close your eyes so you don't feel them_

Walking past the janitor's closet, lacey let out a sigh of relief, it's been several weeks since the closet incident. Lacey managed to convince her boyfriend that Danny accidentally got locked inside the utility room by mistake. She lied that she didn't even know who was inside, she was simply trying to help whomever was trying to open the door from the inside.

Something was off about the story but it was not far-fetched because that door had always been faulty; it always ended up jamming shut, thereby locking students in. On the other hand, it's also known as a hookup spot for students looking to well _hookup_. Although the buff looking soccer team captain doubted his popular girlfriend, he could not exactly call her a liar; doing so would only fracture their relationship, possibly giving an opening to socio. He had no choice but to pretend as if it didn't get to him, showing the new kid that he was insecure would be a sign of weakness.

Lacey and her jock boyfriend walked down the halls of Green Grove High hand in hand and everything was perfect until they encountered Jo _enigma_ Masterson waiting by Lacey's locker. Archie made a joke about Jo's frizzy hair, asking his girlfriend if Jo even bothered to take a shower that morning then possessively kissed her goodbye. Lacey did not look too excited to see the other girl. "Jo, what brings you to my lair?"

Jo wasn't too keen on seeing Lacey as well, she bit the corner of her mouth and leaned on her left foot. "So our moms are having dinner tonight."

"Oh! Good for them, but what does that have to do with me?"

The other teenager rubbed her neck nervously. "I kind of told your mom I missed her cooking, so she invited me to dinner."

Lacey let out a spiteful smirk; she opened her locker and began to put some books inside. "I bet she did. Jo, I won't beat around the bush, we are not friends, it's only going to get awkward so don't come please."

_That is so Lacey Porter_ she thought to herself then shifted her weight from her left foot to the right one; she stared directly at her former friend. "I'm not exactly aching to neither be your friend nor associate myself with your lame popular clique Lace."

"Good. We finally agree on something." She did not give Jo the chance to say anything thing else. She slammed her locker shut and made her way to her sociology 101, fuck she was running late.

* * *

They don't need to see you cry

When this so-called dinner was set up, it was supposed to be just between Judy and Tess, to catch up on old times. But somehow, Judy invited Jo against Lacey's wishes; somewhere along the line, Tess reminisced about old times thereby persuading her friend to invite Karen and Danny. What neither of them foresaw was the blow up that would happen between an estranged mother and daughter. A simple dinner of herb roasted lamb, jambalaya and asparagus was not going so well with a slight nervous energy being swallowed with every bite.

Judy was determined to ease the atmosphere in her own way; she took a sip from her third glass of red wine of the night them began a dialog. "So Jo, what are you going to do when you're done with high school?"

Jo smiled, "As you already know, I will study architecture; I'm working on getting a few scholarships. By the way, thanks for talking to Mr. Hackket, I got the internship."

"Go Jo." Judy cheered loudly for the blond gird then turned to her own daughter, "You use to be like that, winning awards and stuff. I wish you were more like Jo, look at her, she's going to be an architect. You on the other hand might just end up being a starving artist." She shook her head in displeasure.

"I won't starve. I'm already taking LPN programs alongside other vocational classes associated with school programs. I will have a practical nursing license by the time high school is over then I will be able to have a decent fulltime job, study art part-time and I already found an agent. You would remember these things if you paid attention, mother."

"I'm just saying that what you are doing is called settling, you should not have to settle. Why not go all the way? Be a RN, surgeon or a doctor? Jo is going all the nine yards." Judy glanced at Jo and held the smaller girl's hand across the table, "I'm so proud of you honey. I've always been jealous of your mother, why can't my daughter be like you?"

Lacey stopped eating and slammed her fork on the table, startling everyone. "Well forgive me mom for not being Jo, the last time I checked, you are not Tess and trust me, Jo would not like to have you as a mom, she would not survive this family."

Judy hissed, clearly she was slightly inebriated. "Did I ruffle your feathers ice princess? When you have your own kids, you'd understand."

"You won't have to worry about that. Once I'm legally allowed, I'm getting my tubes tied. God! I'd hate to turn out to be like you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You just want your children to keep up with the Jones' children, so you compare me with other kids but you have never taken the time to observe what their mothers are like and how they nurture their children, you are anything but nurturing."

"Excuse me young lady you'd better watch your mouth and stop being rude, you need to understand that as your mother, it's my job to want the best for you. You are almost an adult, don't act like a child because when you get out there, the world won't treat you like one. Your fath-"

Danny placed his hand on Lacey's knee, trying to calm her down but the girl knocked his hand off, she was not having any of it. "See that's the thing mom it always come back to him doesn't it? He doesn't love you, he did not love you and he left. I'm sorry that he stole your youth, he stole your heart, he stole the happiness that you could have had with someone else. He used you to achieve the false goal of being a straight man with a traditional family and he left. He left you stuck with two kids that you did not imagine having to raise on your own. His actions broke you and you dropped the baton of parenthood so I picked it up for you…for Clara."

"I'm here Lace, I stayed."

"Because you didn't have choice."

"Now you are just being an ungrateful little slut hanging around loose girls and sleeping over at Danny's the first night he got back. What? you didn't think I'd find out?" Everyone at the table immediately became tenser than ever, not knowing if they are to keep eating, intervene or leave the ladies alone.

Karen ran her hand through her bouncy curly blond hair, hoping that speaking would lighten the situation. "This is such a great dinner, Judy. Lacey did you make the asparagus? I remember that you use to love it as a child.

Judy let out a mocking laughter. "She didn't, she can't boil water to save her life; just like her father, she can't do anything right."

"I think everyone needs to take a minute to calm down." Tess intercepted.

"I'm perfectly calm Tess; my daughter and I are just having a normal conversation."

Lacey rolled her eyes at her mom. "Being slut shamed and putdown is what I would I expect this from other people but as much as I expected it from you too, I didn't think those words would actually come out of your mouth. You want me to be Jo but you are not Tess."

The older woman slightly slurred her words. "I may not be the kind of mother you want but I try, I'm a damn good provider. You should take a good look at your little sister, you could learn a few things about manners, appreciation, commitment and how to apply yourself from her."

"And you think she learnt that from you? Commitment? I can perform every tumble, every twist, back handspring, Arabian double front, aerial cartwheel, ballet…I took her to her first class and I have been doing it for eight years so don't fucking lecture me about commitment. I have been there for every sprain, every bruise, every fracture, every fallen tears and letdowns but you…you only show up for the awards. No matter how tired I'm, I get up at four in the morning to train till six-thirty with your precious daughter, I make sure she completes her assignments and keep her grades up to stay in the team and I shielded her from the chaos which was your marriage. I held my tears in so that she would not know that everything around was completely falling apart. She cries on my shoulders not yours."

"Okay geez! I get it-" she tried to dismiss her daughter by waving her hand nonchalantly.

"No you don't. She came to me when she got her first period, I spoke to Regina about my first, not you. She came to me about her first crush I spoke to Regina about mine. When she was bullied at school, I called the principal in disguise of your voice to raise hell, when I came home with a bloody nose, you pushed me out of the door and told me not to come back home dirty ever again, Mrs. Crane took me to self-defense classes. When Clara's permission slips needed to be signed, I forged your signature; I am still a child but I'm raising another child. I protect her but who protects me? I'm more of a mother to her than you have ever been. Manners? Yes ma'am, no sir, I'm sorry, please, thank you….IJesus fucking Christ! I taught her everything she knows. Dad left you, then raising us became a chore to you, he left and you fell asleep on motherhood watch, so you don't get to take credit for any good thing that you see in her, I did that." By the time Lacey finished rushing out the words, she was breathing heavily and her whole body was trembling with anger.

Tess attempted to placate Lacey. "Honey, lets-"

"DON'T TOUCH ME PLEASE." Lacey continued ranting at her mom. "Do you think you are the only one with a broken heart? My heart is broken too, dad was emotionally gone before he physically left. I have learnt to accept the fact that people die, people leave and sometimes, they just stop loving you. You don't love me, you never have, I see you dot all over Jo all the time and that's okay but when you compare me to other kids without considering the damage you have been doing at home-"

Judy shrugged her shoulders. "As your mom, I have done all I can to make you happy but you are just a depressed person by nature."

"As your daughter, I would think that no matter how many times I fall down, it is your responsibility to pick me up, dust me off, help me stand up and walk. I'm the one doing the mothering here, I'm the one picking up all your slacks. You do more harm than good, you bring more hurt and pain. You know it but you have never said sorry. You will never bat to the end of the world for me, you would do it for Jo though, she's your dream child. I on the other hand, I know for sure that you wished it was me who had died instead of Cassie."

Everyone at the dinner table gasped at the revelation, silently wondering, _who is Cassie_? Cassie happens to be Lacey's dead twin who died shortly before they moved to the small Town. "Remember what you said to me? God took the good one. Why would a mother say that to her child? Because you did not love me; but that's okay, I have made peace with it."

"That is not true, I care about you, I love you."

"Save it. The only thing that is worse than you not caring is when you pretend to care. An offer came from Atlanta and New York, high school will soon be over so please take heart mother, you won't have to deal with me for much longer and we'll never have to see each other again."

"The company has a branch here, I thought you said you'd stay in Green Grove." She grumbled in her fairly drunken state.

Lacey shook her head in disbelief of how disconnected her mother has been in the conversation. "Even sluts are allowed to change their minds." The hazel-eyed girl looked around until her eyes settled on Danny. "There's nothing left to keep me here."

"Where are you going?"

She yelled over her shoulder, "I'm going to find my pimp to slut it up. I put a lot of effort to maintain how I look, the body has to be maintained with a certain amount of money and if I play my cards right, I might get a couple of grand for jerking off older men and giving heads. Dad always said whatever is worth doing is worth doing well so, tonight, I will be the best whore in this town."

"Don't take my car then, I'm sure you'll find your way around town." She mumbled under her breath. "You always do."

Lacey hurriedly pull the car keys from her jean pocket, she threw it in her mother's direction and started walking away only to be pursued by Jo.

Jo got up from the table, dashing ahead of the taller girl to block her path and persuade her old friend from leaving.

"Lacey common, take it easy on your mom she's just looking out for you."

"You mean like she's looking out for you? Why are you here Jo? I asked you not to come, we stopped being friends three years ago, we are not friends. Being friends with you, competing with you for my parents' affection was depressing then and it's depressing now."

Jo was somewhat shocked at the revelation. "I'm sorry Lace, I didn't know."

"I'm not blaming you for my family woes Jo, you have no control over what my mom does; just go home and we can go back to not being friends." Jo wasn't sure what to do next so she went to the coat closet, picked up her coat, thanked Judy for the meal and left with her mom, thus leaving the Danny and Karen behind.

* * *

_I can't promise I will heal you _

He trailed her footsteps alongside the dark road. "Great, now I'm being followed by a felon." She meant it as an insult but knowing how she lashes out when frustrated, Danny let the words roll off him; he continued trailing behind. "Go home Danny."

He caught up with her and clutched her hand. "I can't, not when you are like this. I just want to make this better, can you just talk to me. This is me, this is us Lacey." He tenderly held her face. "We have never had to hide from each other."

She laughed in his face. "How rich, coming from another Jo-lover?"

"Common, you know better. I didn't have other options."

"Yes you did, you left me to protect her and you won't even say why."

"It was not about choosing her over you, I chose you both, just in different ways. My heart has always chosen you. You are the one that I love, the only one I could ever love. You are where the sun rises and where the moon fades, you are everything that is worth living for. I'm in love with you and I'm sorry I had to martyr what we could have had for the greater good of everyone else."

She signed as if he was simply trying to sweet talk her. "You don't know what it feels like."

"I do Lace. I do know what it feels like to be betrayed by someone who is supposed to protect you, to be despised by the woman who gave you life. My mom, she doesn't look at me, she looks through me as if I'm invisible. I know what it's like to be alone and scared and miserable, and tarnished, and feel as if you are not good enough, to be looked down at as if you deserved every bad thing that has happened. I felt all those things all the time, sometimes I still feel that way except when I'm with you. It's just the way you look at me. Even when you're angry with me I don't feel judged, lonely or unworthy, I just feel good enough, and calm, and confident, and content and complete. As we grew up, I couldn't sum up how I felt but all I knew was that the stars shined in your eyes. You are extraordinary, you are important to me, you are where life begins; don't let anyone tell you that you don't matter because you do."

"Poetic lies, brilliant!"

"I have never lied about how I feel. My feelings for you have always been true."

"I don't believe anymore. You went to prison and you cut me off completely, you shut me out, the last time I came to visit, you wouldn't even come out to see me and wouldn't say why. I was crushed so I don't trust you."

"Tell me what I can do to make you trust me?"

"I don't know you anymore. Who you are when the charm is set aside and the façade is removed, who is the boy left in this body? Tell me one secret about you that can never share with anyone one else."

He stepped closer to her until they were in the same eye level; she could see that his eyes were beginning to line up with tears. He was going to say something but then a silver 640i Gran Coupe BMW pulled up right beside them, it was some guy Lacey had been texting during dinner. A nice looking brown haired olive skinned guy stepped out of the driver's side. He was dressed in a white shirt, a blue pair of jeans and white kicks to match Danny thought the man looked at least twenty-five and well loaded. "Forget I asked Danny, I don't want to know." Lacey introduced the guy as Jesse; Danny wasn't sure what to make of the situation or this obviously older dude, he just watch dumbfounded as she got in the car and they drove away.

As they drove off, Danny whispered to the wind. "She touched me Lace."

* * *

_But if you want to I will try_

Lacey got up in a room of about sixty individuals; it was a place where everyone was anonymous, everyone had a chip on their shoulder, a place she felt okay to be herself, flawed. Jesse squeezed her hand in encouragement; all eyes were on her as she made her way to the platform. She looked around the room, confidently making eye contact with everyone, she tilted her head into the microphone then she somberly began.

"It's great to see old and new faces here, believe me when I say you are in the right place tonight. Eight years ago, I ….." Her voice faded into the crowd, she spoke briefly, and then echoed again.

"When I finally opened my eyes, I understood that the world did not stand still because I was half-dead. So I came to the conclusion that hopes and dreams and the fulfillment of happiness is only a possibility for the living. When you die your expectations die with you, your dreams are buried with you; I still have days when I hit rock bottom, today was one of those days that almost drove me to the edge. When I feel like that, I try to take a step out of the environment that I find toxic and threatening to my stability then I tell myself; _there is something amazing about you that is yet to be discovered. This one life that you have is precious and because of you, the world stands a chance of being a better place_. Hi, my name is Emily P. I'm not ashamed to say I'm a suicide survivor, I'm glad you're still here and I'm glad to be here."

"Hi Emily P." everyone in the room chorused.

* * *

Thanks for reading. So an older guy made an appearance, what do you make of Jesse?


End file.
